Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Packet - September 27, 2007

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POINTS OF CONSIDERATION ❑ Looking at the big picture: This skate park was to be a trial project. The goal was to invest minimally in infrastructure improvements and evaluate the skate parks success or failure at the end of 2003. With the Groveland site, if is the project is a success, there is room for expansion. If it is a failure, the City can sell the state ramps at a very little over all loss to the City. The tennis courts could be reinstated for a very minimal cost. With the Community Center site, nearly $40,000 will need to be invested in the site preparation. If the project is a success, there is no room for expansion on this already small site. If it is a failure, the City will have wasted $40,000 in addition to the cost to convert the park back to basketball courts. ❑ Should a skate park be a success, the Groveland site allows for expansion. If it continues to grow in popularity, the City would always have the option to develop a larger regional skate park by purchasing the site to the south of the Community Center or developing a site with in the City Hall / Public Works complex. ❑ Reports from Public Works, Parks Division, and Police indicate that the basketball courts behind the Community Center are being used far more frequently and by far more people than the tennis courts at Groveland Park, The YMCA has confirmed that the basketball courts adjacent to the Community Center are used extensively. ❑ The Banquet Center has voiced a concern that a skate park may have a negative image for potential clients the City is trying to rent the facility to (Attached is a memorandum dated November 21, 2002 from Dabney Bradley — Banquet Facility Manager). The Center is also concerned for the personal property of visiting guests utilizing the Banquet Facility. ❑ Even with supervision and monitoring, there is a possibility graffiti on the Community Center will become an issue. ❑ The roof of the Community Center is 12 to 14 feet high. Installing a 10-foot fence that adjoins to the Community Center will provide an access to the roof for juveniles. ❑ Addressing the concern of placing a skate park in a neighborhood area: There are four dwelling units that are adjacent to the Groveland Park tennis courts. There are 12 adjacent to the basketball courts behind the Community Center, ❑ Is it a realistic assumption that patrons of the skate park will take off their inline skates upon arriving at the Community Center, walk 70 feet through the center, and put them back on again? Then to repeat this every time they need to use the restroom or get a drink of water.. ❑ Are there any other cities in the metro area, state, or the country that charges for a Tier I skate park? ® Page 4